Bite Me: A Graphic Novel

by Jennifer Dugan, Kit Seaton (Illustrator)

A sapphic supernatural YA graphic novel featuring a vampire crushing on the girl hunting her, from the author of Some Girls Do and the illustrator of Wonder Woman: Warbringer.

Poe never imagined that during her senior year of high school she would be attacked by a pair of vampires and turned into one herself. And she never dreamed her longtime crush, Jolie—who seemed to maybe actually like Poe back—would turn out to be a slayer.

When Jolie drives a wooden stake into her chest, Poe's heart is broken at the betrayal. But somehow she survives the slaying, and when she awakens, it's unclear which is stronger inside her: the thirst for blood, or the thirst for revenge on Jolie.

Now the hunter has become the hunted. But, when the girls come face to face again, Jolie seems overjoyed that Poe is still alive. And beneath Poe's rage remains a burning passion of a different sort. But can a vampire and a slayer ever be more to each other than predator and prey?

Genres: Graphic Novels, Young Adult, Comics, LGBT, Vampires, Fantasy, Romance

240 pages, Hardcover

Published August 25, 2026

About the author

Jennifer Dugan is a writer, geek, and romantic who writes the kinds of stories she wishes she had growing up. In addition to being a young adult novelist, she is also the writer/creator of two indie comics. She lives in New York with her family, dogs, and an evil cat that is no doubt planning to take over the world.

Reviews

[debs ⋆₊˚⊹ · Rating 3 out of 5]

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 3/5 ⭐️
the art is so pretty and the story was a fun spooky time! i read it in one sitting and it was a nice way to relax after a busy day

[Mostly Sapphic Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

This feels like a pitch for a CW show. Would I praise the writing? No. Would I religiously watch new episodes every week? Guilty.

Also this cover does NOT do justice to how gorgeous this book is. Kit Seaton knocked it out of the park with these illustrations. I'd give the art 5 stars easily.

[Autumn Lanning · Rating 4 out of 5]

The art is great. I loved getting to follow Poe's journey into vampirism. Simon was such a sweetheart. I'm such a sucker for a grumpy sourpuss who not-so-secretly cares.

I don't think I enjoyed this one as much as Coven. After this and Full Shift, I'm not sure we'll ever hit that high again in Dugan's graphic novels. They're still great fun to read. Don't get me wrong.

But gods, Coven was just so. . . visceral and full of vibrant emotions. I couldn't get enough. It put Jennifer Dugan on my radar.

It's hard to follow that up, even if this world is fun to rejoin from time to time.

I think Bite Me's greatest weakness was how much plot was stuffed into a single book. William and Tiffany didn't get any time to develop. And Evida barely had any time to show off as a villain before the final fight. It left me feeling a little underwhelmed.

Fortunately, Jolie's and Poe's relationship is a fun game of cat and mouse.

And dammit if Simon didn't keep stealing every scene he was in. That arrogant bastard. (I loved him.)

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sexy fun graphic novel about a girl turned vampire and her hate (or well love) for the girl who let her get bitten. It was really fun and I loved seeing Poe deal with her feelings, get OK with being a vampire, think up plans, and find a family (though she at times still snuck off to see her parents, not face to face because she was dead but through the window which just broke my heart). It was really fun and I love the twists and the turns in this one, because if you think it is as easy as getting revenge? Hahhaaa, no. It is much more than that, so many more layers, and I loved it. Plus, I loved Poe and Jolie, I was already rooting quite soon for them to make up and get back together. The ending was both exciting and a happy one and I loved it so so much.
The art was also super pretty!

[Julia Pika · Rating 5 out of 5]

A solid supernatural/mystery/romance graphic novel!

I really enjoyed seeing Poe's character develop throughout the book and how her hatred of her "killer" changed. The artwork was fantastic. I liked the other vampires.

I do feel like the romance was a bit insta-lovey but I still liked it. I wish there was closure with Poe and her parents but I can get why that didn't really happen, ha. It wasn't really the focus of the book but I still felt bad for her.

Also this is nitpicky, but I don't really quite like the book cover. It makes it seem like it's only about the romance but the book has a lot more going for it than just these two.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poe is none too happy that she's been attacked by vampires while she was walking behind her crush Jolie hoping to tell her what she thought of her. But what Poe doesn't realize is that Jolie is a vampire hunter and tries to end Poe after Poe is bitten and turned by the vampires (unsuccessfully), so she wakes up in her casket watching her parents mourn her death and makes her way to the nest-- the vampire coven who turned her to find connection and rest and understand just what the F happened to her and how she can move on and "live".

It's only when she's confronted with Jolie again and realizes that Jolie is elated that she's still alive that there might... be a chance a second time at romance between the vampire and vampire hunter?

[Ellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It felt rushed. Like the story or characters weren't given enough time to breathe. It should have been 2 or 3 books. Also for some reason the constant narration bothered be over time. Probably because it took away from the very little fleshing out that the book was able to do.

[Lo Riddell · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5 🌟 rounded down)
suuuuper cute and fun! everyone knows by now how much i love vampires. especially lesbian vampires. the art is wonderful and the story was super fun! the pacing seemed a little quick but i really enjoyed the read.

[Raelene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have now read all 3 of Jennifer Dugan & Kit Seaton’s graphic novels they’ve done together, and I think this one is my favourite! I adored Coven, unfortunately didn’t care for Full Shift, and this one totally won me over.

I’m giving this a 4.5/5 because I didn’t love the art style as much as I hoped to, and I found the pacing to be a bit inconsistent. But I really did enjoy this. The characters were my favourite part of this. The banter between Poe and Simon had me laughing out loud multiple times. Him accusing her of being homophobic because she’s surprised he has a boyfriend, when she’s actually just surprised because he’s an asshole, is probably my favourite interaction but honestly she had great moments with basically every character.

The romance in this really is very light, which I didn’t expect, but I actually was totally okay with that. Poe was such a strong character, and with both the story and characters being strong, the romance was an added bonus but this was so good even without that aspect. But I did like Jolie, and the ending wrapped up their story in a satisfying way.

[sydney]

this would make a really fun movie/ mini series

[Venna Nielson · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Mild spoilers ahead!*
Very well drawn a very entertaining read!
I (of course) had a few problems with it:
1: There was no romance? Like I think there was supposed to be tension but most of the time the lovers never even talked to each other?
2: Some people loved TOO much. Like the characters that were already in set relations only cared about their partners, some going as far to say- completely randomly and not on topic at all, I might add- something like "just know that if it comes down to you and (the character in question's partner), I'll choose him first every time." Like ok we were not talking about you at all.
3: I feel like a lot was over explained and a lot wasn't explained enough at all. I'm still confused about a lot of vampire logistics, as well as vampire morality. Like are they allowed to kill people or not? It seems that they're just as bad as the hunters.
4: Lily. I am positive that she was added so the vampire crew would look more diverse. She had no personality and is often completely forgotten. She existed for the sole purpose of having a Black girl in the group, which infuriated me and brought down this review to a 3. And the whole thing where she was in love with Poe? That was completely random and there was no build up to that at all. And then Poe has the gall to call Simon her only friend like whattttt
5: The cover does not accurately depict the art style, I think. I was very surprised to find it all in black and white and was sort of disappointed.
6: (paraphrasing) 'this isn't our fight' I was very close to throwing the book across the room
I did enjoy this read, partially because I'm a sucker for graphic novels and I love a happy ending. But there was a lot of problems that may need to be resolved in either a later book (where they further illustrate the side characters that either got too simplified or outright ignored) or some edits need to be made before officially publishing this one.

[TheNextGenLibrarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

She’s the vampire.
She’s the hunter.
And neither can kill what they feel.
🧛🏻‍♀️
After a brutal vampire attack turns her into the very thing she fears, Poe’s senior year takes a deadly twist, especially when her longtime crush, Jolie, reveals herself as a vampire slayer…and tries to kill her. Miraculously surviving, Poe is left torn between her hunger for blood and her lingering feelings for the girl who betrayed her. As hunter and prey collide once more, old emotions resurface, raising a dangerous question: can love exist between enemies destined to destroy each other?
🧛🏻‍♀️
I’m obsessed with this YA sapphic graphic novel that gives major Buffy the Vampire Slayer vibes—vampires, slayers, and a romance that refuses to die even when it probably should. I’m such a fan of all JD and KS work and can’t wait for this release August 25!

CW: blood, death, murder, violence, grief

[Larareads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Edelweiss for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Actual rating 3.25 ⭐️

Unfortunately I didn't love this as much as I thought, but I still had a great time reading.
This wasn't necessarily a romance. There is barely any contact between the MCs until the last couple of pages.
There was so much not explained that sometimes it was confusing. Also, the format of the book on my kindle wasn't the best one so I had a hard time reading.
I also was honestly expecting for the whole book to be like the art on the cover, but it was all black and white, which didn't necessarily left me disappointed because the art was very beautiful, but I was a little confused at the beginning.
This was my first graphic novel and it was actually a very good one despite the little things I didn't enjoy.

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Penguin Teen Canada for the advanced copy of this graphic novel.

I'm only just starting out on reading some graphic novels, and I really enjoyed this one. Bite Me is about a teenage girl who becomes a vampire because of a local teenage slayer who happens to be her ex (that she's still in love with). She's understandably pissed off and out for revenge, but along the way she uncovers a very sinister decades old plot, and also finds a family and a purpose.

The art in this book was great! I really enjoyed seeing the story come to life and it was quite compelling. I can sometimes get bored by graphic novels because I'm not good at paying attention to the pictures, but this one was a page turner and I couldn't wait to see what happened next. There was some violence and mature scenes, I would recommend this book to ages 12+.

[Joanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve never been much of a vampire cultist, so I’ll admit right up front that I’m probably not the ideal reader for Jennifer Dugan’s Bite Me. But it was a new release, it was a graphic novel, and here we are.

There’s a lot going on in this one—a complicated plot, a surprisingly dense cast of characters, and enough vampire mythology that I occasionally found myself wondering whether I’d missed a meeting. The characters are well drawn, though, both literally and figuratively, and the art is quite good. Poe in particular was a standout and gave me someone to root for when the story started feeling a little overcrowded.

Overall, it ran longer than I needed it to, and I suspect readers who already speak fluent vampire will get more out of it than I did. Did I read the whole thing anyway? Yup, cuz it’s October and what better time to sink your teeth into the spooky season?!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank edelweiss and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I love anything vampire related so I was excited to dive into this graphic novel. Poe is turned into a vampire and then slayed by her crush, Jolie, who turns out to be a slayer, but somehow she survives. Taken in by a vampire next, all Poe wants to do is track down Jolie and kill her, but also feels conflicted by her romantic feelings of her. When Poe and the pack hunt down the slayers, can she really do it or will love prevail. An interesting tale, would like to read more about Poe and Jolie, and I really liked the artwork, it fit the tone of the graphic novel.

[Sesana · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a really interesting concept in this vampire romantasy. What if the vampire hunter is the bad guy? And what if the vampire who discovers the plot was in love with the hunter when she was still human? It feels like a unique take on the Angel/Buffy dynamic. Unfortunately, I did feel like some aspects of the vampires dulled that take. Because they really are unrepentent killers. They really are leaving a huge body count behind them, very casually. I kept waiting for the narrative to engage with that meaningfully, but it insists on treating vampirism as morally neutral even when the vampires are doing an awful lot of murders.

[Zephorah Dove · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid 3.5 read. Thanks so much to the publisher for the DRC.

This is great for fans of vampire x human relationships, crazy plot twists and new beginnings (not new moons). Can't wait until it drops in 2026 so I can hear everyone's opinions.

This was a cute rendition of a vampire x hunter relationship. While some of the twists and turns were a tad predictable, witnessing Poe's struggle with her feelings of betrayal, regret, loss, and anger were refreshing to explore. The artwork really honed in on her expressions and the fatally destined lovers quarrel with Jolie.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third in Dugan's paranormal Sapphic YA graphic novel series that features a forbidden romance between a new vampire hunter and the crush she recently turned. Full of found family, feminine rage, secret crushes, betrayals, secrets, lies and more. I enjoyed this but didn't love the text formatting in the digital copy I read. The sentences got all jumbled and made it hard to keep the dialogue straight at times. Likely much better in a physical format. Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Jill (readinginpjs) · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was kinda cute, kinda hard to review!
The artwork is FANTASTIC (5⭐️), though I wish it had been in color
the cover & end papers look SO good (maybe the final version is and not the arc? I’m not sure)

the story is good, loved the found family elements
the romance was definitely lacking, we barely saw the MCs together :(

(Full review to come)

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vampire lesbians - what's not to like?

FYI, you can rest assured that the final published book is fully in color and the art looks great! Not sure why they sent out black and white advance copies. That choice seems to have left a poor impression on the advance reviewers.

[rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

rounding up to a 4 because the art is gorgeous!

this was so cute! i do wish there was a little more meat because the pacing was rushed - I would read a sequel in a heartbeat (pun intended)

simon and taz… sneaky Carry On reference?

[shatterinseconds · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.5 stars

Loved this so much more than either Coven or Full Shift. Vampires are always a hit for me and I really enjoyed the side characters as well as Poe. Could have used some more development for Jolie though.

[Dana · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

I really liked this one! I liked the art a lot - pretty and gritty. And the plot was well done too if not a little too quick to resolve. I wanted a little more from the final confrontation and fight. But it was really nice and I definitely enjoyed it.

[Tom Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read good story line highly recommend

[Audrey S · Rating 4 out of 5]

actual rating: 4.25 stars
.
the best of the Dugan x Seaton comics so far! entertaining with great worldbuilding and characters.

[kc · Rating 3 out of 5]

corny. nice illustrations though.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

[allyways · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5) amazing illustrations! the story was just ok though.

[Kaytlyn Snyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute story, loved the art!